Page 14 of Kiss From A Rose

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Why would I?" Aimee protested. "You never seemed interested in your wife, Gray. Why all these questions?"

"But she saidanniversary? And what the hell do you mean by saying I'm never interested in my wife? She's my wife, Aimee."

Aimee looked hurt. "Just that, you work all the time. You don't have any plans on your calendar to be out with her unless there's a social event. You eat dinner with me at the office or a restaurant about three times a week. I know you go away to see your kids without her because I book your flights."

Shame poured through me…again. I had been neglecting my wife so much that even my assistant thought I didn't care for her.

She swallowed. "What's going on, Gray?"

"Rose left me, Aimee."

She surprised me by smiling. "Well, that's good, right?"

"What?" I rage whispered.

"You wanted her to leave, didn't you?"

"Why would you think that?" I got up, shocked to hear what she said. "Why?"

"Because you told me that you didn't want to talk to her in the office. You hardly see her. You miss your anniversaries and her birthdays,andyou spend a whole lot of time with meevenwhen she's around."

I stared at Aimee. Did she just say what I thought she did?

"I know you're a decent man, and you'd never cheat, but it's been obvious to not just me but everyone that…. Even when we're at a party, you're with me, not Rose. People talk, you know."

Fucking hell!

"And what do people say? That you and I are having an affair?"

"Yes. I mean, we're not, but it's obvious there is something between us. I feel it. I know you do as well."

This wasTheTwilight Zone. I was certain of it.

"You're my executive assistant. My right hand. You're not my mistress, girlfriend, or anything else, Aimee. I havenevergiven you that impression, at least not knowingly."

What a cluster fuck!

She came to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I flinched and moved away.

I was always careful around women at work. I wasn’t the type of man who’d place a hand on the small of a woman's back or her shoulder—none of that. I made sure to avoid any behavior that could be misinterpreted. My father had been a sexual harassment case waiting to happen until the day he retired. When I took over after him, I promised myself I’d be extremely mindful of how I treated women.

"Are you telling me you feel nothing for me?" Aimee asked, and her confidence pissed me off. She was patronizing.

"I feel for you as I would an employee. I'm not interested in you in any other way. I love my wife. I've always loved my wife."

She scoffed. "That dog won't hunt, Gray. No one thinks you love your wife. Even your kids don't. Not the way you talktoandabouther."

It was like I didn't know my own life. My wife leaves me, and my assistant thinks I wantherand not my wife. The wife I was madly in love with. The wife I thought I had a great marriage with.

"How do I talk about my wife?" I really wanted to know.

"Like she's not important to you." Aimee stepped back. "If you're telling me that you treated her the way you did because you were in love with her, then thank God we've kept our relationship professional."

"I've never given you the—"

"No, you haven't," she interrupted. "I assumed. That's on me. But what else could I think? You seem to be so callous about Rose. It's obvious your kids don't have any respect for her, especially Jude."

---